Gowanus residents are preparing to fight the Toll Brothers proposal for a big development on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. The developers are looking for city approval for the project–which would include buildings up to 12-stories tall and 577 units of housing–before the Gowanus rezoning. An organizing meeting to prepare for a “scoping hearing” with the City Planning Commission on March 13 is taking place tonight. (The scoping hearing is the first step in a long land use review process; it would the scope of an environmental impact study, among other things. The meeting is taking place under the auspices of a group called Friends of Bond Street. There are a myriad of infrastructure, environmental and other issues surrounding the big development, which would be the first on the canal if it’s approved by the city. Here’s a bit about the meeting from notices that are going out via email and that have been posted:

It’s coming and it’s big. 577 new apartments on the Gowanus. The Toll Brothers have unveiled their plan for a 605,380 square foot project between Bond and the Gowanus, Carroll and Second Streets. What does it mean for our neighborhood?

Come hear Craig Hammerman (District Manager Community Board 6), Phil dePaolo(Community Organizer), Tony Avella (City Council member) address our concerned response the Toll Brothers development. Help plan for the upcoming Public Scoping Meeting at City Planning on 13 March.

The meeting is tonight (March 3) in the community room at Mary Star of the Sea, which is located at 41 First Street (between Hoyt and Bond) at 6:30 PM. The nearby Public Place development on the Gowanus could ultimately exceed 1,000 units of housing and also be about 12 stories tall.